BUFFALO, N.Y. (Nov. 2, 2007) – Delaware North Companies, a leading global hospitality and food service provider, will introduce its new gaming hospitality arm at Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2007 Nov. 13 to 15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“The Delaware North Gaming Hospitality Group has been created to assist organizations with integrating hospitality – including food and beverage, entertainment, retail and lodging – into their gaming operations,” said Dennis J. Szefel, president of Delaware North’s overall hospitality business.

Szefel said the new group will draw from Delaware North’s resources and expertise within some of its key operating companies, including Gaming & Entertainment, Sportservice, Travel Hospitality Services, and Parks & Resorts. Culinary arts, customer service, supply management, technology, design and other vital areas of expertise and programs that have been established across those companies will also be leveraged by the new group, he said.

“Our expertise extends to all facets of hospitality management,” Szefel said. “We operate and manage hotels, resorts, and spas in some incredible locations and develop and operate hundreds of restaurant and retail properties at high-profile hotels and stadiums.”

A $2 billion company, Delaware North provides hospitality and all levels of food service and dining at major international and U.S. sports venues, including Soldier Field in Chicago and the new Wembley Stadium in London, and owns and operates TD Banknorth Garden in Boston.

The company also operates several historic hotels and resorts such as The Ahwahnee at Yosemite National Park and The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in New Hampshire that feature restaurants offering upscale cuisine. Later this year, Delaware North will begin jointly operating the grand ballroom of the iconic Plaza Hotel in New York City.

In addition, the company operates dozens of restaurants and retail outlets at airports nationwide and has significant experience in operating gaming venues such as Saratoga Gaming and Raceway in New York and Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Center in West Virginia. The company specializes in racing venues with world-class entertainment and hospitality amenities such as video gaming machines, poker rooms, full-service restaurants, nightclubs and hotels.

Szefel said Delaware North knows how to approach hospitality from a gaming operation’s perspective as a result of operating its own gaming and entertainment venues.

“This allows us to understand what they’re looking for,” he said.

Szefel said the company’s broad experience will allow it to customize hospitality solutions for other organizations.

“In everything the company does, we are extremely innovative and creative. For example, with culinary operations, we operate everything from stadium concessions to luxury suite buffets to four-star restaurants that are guided by certified executive chefs. One size, type or brand does not fit all when it comes to hospitality, and Delaware North has experience with many of them,” he said.

Another key strength in hospitality that Delaware North can bring to another organization is its proven guest and customer relations program, GuestPath®. It’s a continuous process that empowers Delaware North associates with the knowledge and skills required to address every aspect of the overall customer experience.

Szefel said Delaware North is exploring new ventures in the growing national and international gaming arena with a focus on leveraging the company’s racing/gaming, hospitality and culinary expertise.

“We can really help an organization focus on its core gaming product by ensuring that world-class hospitality becomes a credible brand attribute of the facility,” he said. “For example, most casino patrons are now looking for fine dining to be a part of their experience, and we can work with a facility to provide that.”

The group can also assist entertainment venues with integrating gaming into their operations, which Delaware North has successfully done at Saratoga and its own racing venues, he said.

At G2E, the pre-eminent show for the gaming-entertainment industry, Delaware North is the exclusive sponsor of the Culinary Demo Stage at F&B, a culinary marketplace designed to highlight food and beverage within gaming.

On the culinary stage, Certified Executive Chef Rolf Baumann, a silver medalist in the 2004 Culinary Olympics, will showcase recipes from the company’s second cookbook, “Home Plate: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine.” He will be assisted by two other top Delaware North Companies Sportservice chefs, Certified Executive Chef Kevin Doherty of TD Banknorth Garden in Boston and Executive Chef Mark Szebeczak of Comerica Park in Detroit.

The new cookbook celebrates Delaware North’s 90-year legacy of feeding fans at dozens of sports venues. It features traditional and regional favorites such as the St. Louis hand-rolled pretzel, as well as contemporary dishes such as crab and shrimp ceviche, which Baumann will prepare during the demonstration. The cookbook, which can be ordered at www.ShopDelawareNorth.com, gives fans their first opportunity to create and savor authentic stadium, arena and ballpark dishes from across the United States and Canada in their own homes.

Directly across from the culinary stage in the F&B at G2E exhibit hall, the Delaware North Gaming Hospitality Group booth (FB538) will welcome attendees and other exhibitors to relax and enjoy great hospitality in a contemporary lounge setting. Beer, wine and select cocktails will be available from 1 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 14.

In addition, Delaware North is sponsoring the Food & Beverage track of the conference. At 9:15 a.m. on Nov. 14, Dennis Szefel will moderate a panel discussion on using third-party operators for restaurants, hotels, retail and other hospitality services at gaming facilities. Bill Bissett, president of Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, and several other Delaware North executives are scheduled to participate in other panel discussions.

About Delaware North Companies

Delaware North Companies is one of the world’s leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International, TD Banknorth Garden and American Park ‘n Swap. Delaware North Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually and 40,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.

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